Monday, January 10, 2011

Giving in

Last Thursday, I managed to find a pair of the jeans I last wore while at my heaviest on steroids. At that time I weighed in at 164 lbs. The weight was from a combination of steroid eating and fluid retention. I tried them on and could just barely button them. My current weight is 152 lbs. It's most definitely mostly fluid retention.

My disappointment at the poor fit coupled with my extreme discomfort doing most things compelled me to email my transplant team. I stopped being stubborn and gave in to lasix.

Lasix is a diuretic that can be administered via IV infusion or in pill form. I've only had it as an IV while in the hospital. My experience with it then was that it worked within 15 minutes and that I'd need to urinate every 10 minutes until the drug wore off.

I started taking the lasix pills Friday. They don't work as quickly and the urge to run to the water closet doesn't approach the scale of an all out emergency. However, I was feeling more comfortable in my own skin by the end of the night.

I haven't really discussed it before, but the excessive pressure around my torso made digestion a nightmare. Anything I ate would sit like a stone in my stomach for most of the day. My abdomen would become distended with each subsequent meal. Extreme constipation was my co-pilot.

Saturday, I could eat a meal and feel normal. I didn't have to work as hard to draw breath. Lest anyone become alarmed, I did not have trouble breathing because my lungs were inflamed. The pressure from the extra fluid meant that I had to exert a little more to draw breath. Once the lasix started to work, my breathing became normal.

Sunday morning, I took my pill and noticed that it didn't seem to be working by mid-day. I soon learned why. The pill is about 1/3 the size of a tic-tac and I have diminished feeling in my fingertips. The pill slipped out of my grasp before it made it to my mouth. I found the pill in its pristine whiteness lying on my bed. I'm thankful one of the cats hadn't eaten it. I took a dose a little before 2pm and it didn't begin working until after dinner. Back to feeling bloated.

I also gave in and bought bigger pants. They'll hang in my closet next to the bigger tops after this is all over. This time, I'll keep them around, just in case.

Hi Ann,Glad you are feeling better. Oh, what a feeling.... I am also glad your cats didn't find your lasix pill. The kitty litter would be muddy!!! lol

Hang in there girl. It'll get better. This too shall pass. In the meantime, do whatever it takes to feel comfortable. No use in suffering. Glad you can breathe easier and digest what you've eaten. Love ya lots!